Moving sacrificial vehicle hull

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can replace the existing crew cabin with a field replaceable armored crew compartment to be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within from explosive blasts, roll-over or collisions. In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the HMMWV frame rails. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin and absorb the force of the explosion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/174,752 filed Feb. 6, 2014, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/177,371, filed May 12, 2009. This application is also a continuation-in-in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/942,555 filed Jul. 15, 2013, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/778,951 filed May 10, 2010, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/177,371, filed May 12, 2009. The above referenced applications are incorporated by referenced in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to armoring of military vehicles. More specifically the present invention relates to armoring of military personnel transportation vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The common vehicle currently selected by the military for the transportation of personnel and for troop patrols is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) commonly referred to as a Humvee. The current method of armoring a HMMWV has generally focused on small arms fire in combat. The escalation of threats in current active combat situations has sent the military looking for further protection. The weak construction of the original body of the HMMWV has made the military conduct an extensive search for additional protection. Thus the continued addition of heavy armor to an already weak body has made the task difficult. Once the main cause of mortality shifted from ballistic threat to blast threat, this method of armoring became even more of a threat to combat troops.

The current method of attaching additional armor to the aluminum body of the HMMWV is weak at best. The failure to have positive attachments between the heavy armor panels stresses the weak aluminum body, which allows the up-armored HMMWV to fold or collapse in a collision or blast. The addition of such up-armor has increased the weight of the vehicle while raising its center of gravity increasing the chance of roll-over and greatly diminishing its mobility and handling. It would be therefore advantageous to find a solution for adding additional protective armor to the existing HMMWV design to protect the military personnel inside the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to new and improved armor protection that can be attached to the existing body of an HMMWV military vehicle to protect the military personnel within. It is therefore a preferred embodiment of the present invention to replace the existing aluminum HMMWV crew compartment with that of a one piece armored crew compartment that is mounted in the same position as the original crew compartment and utilizes the remaining existing body of the HMMWV. This aspect of the preferred embodiment allows for easy field replacement of the original cabin while increasing the ability of the crew compartment to survive the impact of an explosive blast, collision or roll-over.

In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, in order to provide additional protection to personnel in the HMMWV crew compartment, a sacrificial V-shaped hull is designed to be attached onto the underside of the crew compartment over the existing HMMWV frame rails. The existing frame is constructed such that an opening exists underneath the crew compartment making the crew compartment vulnerable to any explosive impact occurring under the vehicle. It is an aspect of the preferred embodiment that the V-shaped hull covers the opening in the frame to provide additional protection for the occupants inside the crew compartment. In the event of an explosion underneath the HMMWV, the V-shaped hull will shield the personnel inside the cabin from the impact of the explosion. It is also an aspect of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that the V-shaped hull is attached with bolts so that it can be removed for replacement or maintenance of the HMMWV. Furthermore, attaching the V-shaped hull will maintain much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV.

Also in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, the weight of the hull and secondary layer of armor acting as the floor of the vehicle will send weight lower resulting in a lower center of gravity reducing the threat of roll-over. The result of the V-shaped hull will require the crew compartment to be raised on the existing frame to return to the original ground clearance and keeping as much of a stand off between crew compartment and blast. This has been accomplished by lowering the body mounts on the new crew compartment to raise it on its original frame mounts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a 4-door HMMWV with armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the armored crew compartment mounted on the existing HMMWV frame and the detached V-shaped hull section.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the V-shaped hull section attached and covering the existing frame.

FIG. 4 is a view of the 2 door crew compartment mounted on the existing frame and detached V-shaped hull section.

FIG. 5 is a view of the 2-door armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull mounted to the existing frame.

FIG. 6 is a view of the 4 door crew compartment mounted on the existing frame and detached V-shaped hull section.

FIG. 7 is a view of the 4 door armored crew compartment and V-shaped hull mounted to the existing frame.

FIG. 8 is a view of a crew compartment and a V-shaped hull in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 9 a is a bottom view of the crew compartment of FIG. 8, with the V-shaped hull coupled to the bottom of the compartment.

FIG. 9 b is a bottom view of the crew compartment of FIG. 8, with the V-shaped hull absent from the bottom of the compartment.

FIG. 10 a is side view of coupling assemblies coupling a V-shaped hull with a crew compartment.

FIG. 10 b is a cross sectional view of a coupling assembly coupling a V-shaped hull with a crew compartment.

FIG. 10 c is side view of a V-shaped hull having oval holes positioned with a crew compartment having circular holes.

FIG. 10 d is a side view of a coupling assembly in an operating configuration.

FIG. 10 e is a side view of the coupling assembly of FIG. 10 d in a shock configuration.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a V-shaped hull in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a V-shaped hull in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 13 a is a side view of the V-shaped hull of FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 b is a front cross-sectional view of the V-shaped hull of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a complete HMMWV 100 with the replacement armored crew compartment 120 and V shape hull 110 in accordance with one embodiment 110A. Turning to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of the cabin 120 is shown. The original HMMWV crew compartment is removed from the existing HMMWV frame 210. The original cabin is replaced with a one piece armored crew compartment 120 which is seated onto existing frame 210 maintaining as much of the existing vehicle components as possible. Existing frame 210 has an open chassis 220 below the crew compartment which exposes the occupants inside the compartment to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) or other explosive devices that may explode underneath the HMMWV. The V-shaped hull 110 covers the open chassis 220 to protect the occupants inside the crew compartment 120 from such explosive devices.

The armored crew compartment 120 is designed to be a one piece replacement to the original crew compartment. This allows for easy field replacement of the original compartment. The armored crew compartment 120 is constructed of a rigid metal such as a steel alloy. The one piece armored crew compartment 120 is designed not to collapse in a collision, blast or roll-over. The one piece design and rigid metal construction of the armored crew compartment 120 increases the structural integrity of the crew compartment improving survivability in the event of a roll-over or collision as well as providing added protection from the impact of explosive detonation. The V-shaped hull 110 is also constructed of a rigid metal whose composition is such that it will resist the force of a typical IED or other explosive device that detonate beneath the HMMWV 100. The typical composition of the rigid metal is a steel alloy.

FIG. 3 illustrates the V-shaped hull 110 in its attached position to the armored crew compartment 120. V-shaped hull 110 is attached to armored crew compartment 120 with bolts 310. Thus, V-shaped hull 110 encloses the existing open chassis 220 to protect the crew compartment 120 from the impact of explosive detonation that occurs underneath the HMMWV 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates a 2-door aspect of the present invention. The original crew compartment is removed and the 2-door armored crew compartment 410 is seated onto the original HMMWV frame 210. Crew compartment 410 is attached to frame 210 using as much of the original attachment parts as possible. V-shaped hull 110 is sized to fit the underside of the HMMWV 2-door armored crew compartment 410. The V-shaped hull 110 is attached to the underside of the HMMWV 2-door armored crew compartment 410 using bolts 420. The V-shaped hull 110 is bolted on after the armored crew compartment 410 has been set down over the existing HMMWV frame rails 210. FIG. 5 is a view of the 2-door armored crew compartment 410 with the V-shaped hull 110 attached. Bolting of the V-shaped hull 110 in this manner maintains as much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV as possible and will thereby provide under body protection against explosive devices that may detonate below the HMMWV 100.

FIG. 6 illustrates a 4-door aspect of the present invention. Similarly, the original crew compartment is removed and the 4-door armored crew compartment 510 is seated onto the original HMMWV frame 510. The one piece armored crew compartment 510 is attached to frame 210 using as much of the original attachment parts as possible. V-shaped hull 110 is sized to fit the underside of the HMMWV 4-door armored crew compartment 510. The V-shaped hull 110 is attached to the underside of the HMMWV 4-door armored crew compartment 510 using bolts 420. The V-shaped hull 110 is bolted on after the armored crew compartment 510 has been set down over the existing HMMWV frame rails 210. FIG. 7 is a view of the 4-door armored crew compartment 510 with the V-shaped hull 110 attached. As described above, bolting of the V-shaped hull 110 in this manner maintains as much of the original size, shape and function of the HMMWV as possible and will thereby provide under body protection against explosive devices that may detonate below the HMMWV 100.

Referring back to FIG. 1, it is another aspect of the present invention that the weight of V-shaped hull 110 will send the overall weight of the HMMWV 100 lower resulting in a lower center of gravity reducing the threat of roll-over. The placement of the V-shaped hull 110 will require the crew compartment to be raised on the existing frame to return to the original ground clearance which will allow an additional stand off between crew compartment and the force of an explosive detonation. This has been accomplished by lowering the body mounts on the new crew compartment to raise it on its original frame mounts.

Turning to FIG. 8, another embodiment 110B of a V-shaped hull 110 is depicted that comprises a first plate 810 and a second plate 815 that includes a plurality of oval holes 805A. The first plate 810 is shown having a V-shaped contour defined by a first and second V-arm 811A, 811B that extend from an apex 812 in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis T of the first plate 810. The oval V-arm holes 805 defined by the V-arms 811 are configured to couple the vehicle hull 110 to the vehicle compartment 120 as shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, which depict a plurality of compartment coupling holes 905 that correspond to the plurality of oval holes 805 of the hull 110.

As depicted in FIGS. 10 a-e, a coupling assembly 1005 may be configured to couple the first and second plates 810, 815 to the vehicle compartment 120. For example, referring to FIG. 10 b, in some embodiments, a coupling assembly may comprise a bolt 420, a nut 1010, and a first and second washer 1015, 1020. As depicted in FIGS. 10 d and 10 e, the bolt 420 may comprise a head 421 and a shaft 422. The shaft 422 of the bolt 420 may extend through holes 805 of the first and second plate 810, 815 with the nut 1010 coupled on an end of the shaft 422 opposite the head 421. In various embodiments, the nut 1010 may be tightened a desired amount and welded to one or both of the shaft 422 and the compartment 120.

In various embodiments (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12), the first and second plate 810, 815 may comprise corresponding oval holes 805A, 805B that are further corresponding with coupling holes 905 on the vehicle compartment 120. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10 c, for example, the plates 810, 815 may be stacked such that respective coupling holes 905 are visible through respective pairs of oval holes 805A, 805B of the first and second plate 810, 815. A bolt 420 may therefore be passed through the holes 805 of the plates 810, 815, and through a corresponding coupling hole 905.

In various embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 10 d, the plates 810, 815 may be coupled to vehicle compartment 120 in an operating configuration, where the bolt 420 resides in a central portion of the oval holes 805. In such an operating configuration, the hull 110 may be rigidly fixed to the compartment 120 under normal vehicle operating conditions. In other words, the hull 110 is coupled with the compartment 120 such that it does not move from the operating configuration while the vehicle 100 moves, and when exposed to normal road or off-road forces, that the vehicle 100 is exposed to under normal or expected conditions. In various embodiments, the expected operating forces may be different based on the mission or duty that a given vehicle 100 is assigned to.

However, when exposed to an explosive force such as and IED, or the like, as discussed above, the hull 110 may be operable to move so as to absorb and redistribute the force of such an explosion and reduce damage to the vehicle compartment 120 and vehicle occupants. For example, FIG. 10 e depicts a shock configuration, where the bolt 420 moves downward within the oval holes 805 which is caused by the hull 110 moving upward in response to an explosive blast. In various embodiments, the bolt 420 may be forced to various positions within the oval holes 805 depending on the holding tension of the coupling assembly 1005 in the operating configuration (FIG. 10 d) and depending of the amount, duration, and direction of force generated by an explosive blast. In some embodiments, the bolt 420 may be configured to move to a bottom end of the holes 805, or may only shift toward the bottom end of the holes 805 as shown in FIG. 10 e.

The position of an explosive blast relative to the hull 110 may cause the bolt 420 to shift upward within the holes 805 in another shock configuration (not shown). For example, an explosion on one side of the hull 110 may generate a force along the transverse axis T that generates a rotative force that moves bolts 420 on one side of the hull 110 upward and bolts 420 on the opposite side downward within the holes 805. Accordingly while one example shock configuration is shown in FIG. 10 e, a shock configuration may be different for bolts 420 in holes 805 on respective sides of the hull 110 and may even be different on the same side of the hull 110. The shock configuration of FIG. 10 e is therefore only presented as an example of how the bolt 420 may move in one example.

Additionally, the deformation of the hull 110 caused by an explosive blast may cause permanent or temporary deformation of the hull 110. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the bolts 420 may assume a shock configuration (e.g., FIG. 10 e), but may re-assume the operating configuration (e.g., FIG. 10 d) or other new static position after the blast. The hull 110 may therefore be operable to absorb multiple blasts based on the dynamic movement of the bolts 420 within the oval holes 805.

As depicted in the example embodiments herein, the oval holes 805 are shown as being disco-rectangular, oval-rectangular, or a rounded rectangle. The term oval as used herein should not be construed to be limiting and should instead be considered to broadly cover classes of oval-like shapes that include shapes comprising only a curved profile or a profile comprising both straight and curved portions. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10 d and 10 e, the oval holes 805 are elongated along axis Q, with parallel sidewalls and rounded ends.

Although oval holes 805 are shown as an example herein, other shapes such as rectangles, circles, or the like may be used in some embodiments. Additionally, the holes 805 of the hull may be substantially uniform or may be different shapes and sizes in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, some of the oval holes 805 may be longer than some other oval holes 805.

Additionally, various embodiments depicted herein show oval holes 805 on one side of the hull 110 extending along a common axis Q that is in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse axis T, with holes 805 on the opposing side of the hull 110 at least being aligned in an axis having a parallel plane. Having all holes 805 on the hull 110 extend along this common axis Q or along a parallel plane may be desirable in some embodiments because the force generated by an explosive blast under or to the sides of the hull 110 will primarily exert a blast force that can be absorbed along this axis Q or parallel plane. The blast may therefore be absorbed by movement of the hull 110 provided by movement of the bolts 420 within the holes 805.

However, in some embodiments, holes 805 may be aligned along any desirable axis that may or may not be coincident with a transverse axis T or longitudinal axis L of a hull 110. In further embodiments, holes 805 may be a shape that provides for movement in a plurality of directions. For example, holes 805 may be circular and provide for movement from a central operating configuration to a shock configuration away from the central operating configuration.

Turning to FIGS. 11 and 12, some embodiments 110B, 110C of a hull 110 include a first plate 810 having a V-shaped contour defined by the first and second V-arm 811A, 811B that extend from the apex 812 in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis T of the first plate 810. The oval V-arm holes 805B are disposed in rows 1105, with respective rows 1105A, 1105B disposed on distal ends of the V-arms 811. The first plate 810 can also include a pair of end-plates 1110 that span between respective ends of the V-arms 811A, 811B.

In various embodiments a support architecture 1115 may be disposed within a V-shaped cavity or slot defined by the V-arms 811A, 811B and end-plates 1110A, 1110B of the first plate 110. For example, FIG. 11 depicts one embodiment 1115B that comprises a series of ribs 1117 that span between the V-arms 811A, 811B in a plane parallel to the transverse axis T. FIG. 12 depicts another embodiment 1115C that comprises a plurality of ribs 1217 that extend between the V-arms 811A, 811B and between the end-plates 1110A, 1110B. The support architecture 1115C can also comprise a V-shaped reinforcing plate 1218 that resides proximate to the apex 812 and extends up the internal walls of the V-arms 811A, 811B as depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13 b. The example embodiments of a support architecture 1115 disclosed herein should not be construed to be limiting, and any suitable variation of ribs 1217, 1117 reinforcing plates 1218, or the like may be used as desired in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 11 and 12 further disclose a second plate 815 that comprises a web 1120 and a pair of flanges 1125 that extend from opposing edges of the web 1120 in a plane that is substantially parallel to the transverse axis T. Each of the flanges 1125 comprises a plurality of oval holes 805A that correspond to oval holes 805B present on the first plate 810. The web 1120 can also define a plurality of rib-holes 1130 that may provide for coupling of the second plate 115 to the first plate 810 via ribs 1217, 1117. For example, in various embodiments, the rib-holes 1130 extend through the web 1120 and are arraigned to correspond to the position of a portion of at least one rib 1217, 1117. A plug weld in the rib-holes 1130 may be used to couple the first and second plates 810, 815.

Various changes, modifications, variations, as well as other uses and applications of the subject invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification together with the accompanying drawings and claims. All such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be covered hereby and limited only by the following claims. 

1. A sacrificial vehicle hull for protecting occupants in a vehicle from the impact of an explosion beneath the vehicle, comprising: a first plate, having a V-shaped contour defined by a first and second V-arm extending from an apex in a plane substantially parallel to a transverse axis of the first plate, and including a plurality of oval V-arm holes defined by the V-arms configured to couple the vehicle hull to the vehicle, with the oval V-arm holes extending in a plane substantially parallel to the transverse axis.
 2. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 1, wherein the coupling of the vehicle hull with the vehicle is rigidly fixed under normal vehicle operating conditions and slidably coupled in response to an explosion.
 3. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 1, wherein the vehicle hull is coupled with the vehicle via respective coupling assemblies that extend through the oval V-arm holes to rigidly couple the vehicle hull to the vehicle in an operating configuration, and wherein the coupling assemblies are configured to slidably assume a shock position in response to an explosion.
 4. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 1, further comprising a second plate configured to extend between the first and second V-arm.
 5. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 4, wherein the second plate is configured to reside within a V-slot defined by the first and second V-arm.
 6. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 4, wherein the second plate comprises a plurality of second-plate coupling holes defined by the second plate that correspond to at least a portion of the oval V-arm coupling holes.
 7. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 6, wherein the second-plate coupling holes are oval and substantially correspond to the oval V-arm coupling holes.
 8. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 4, wherein the first and second plate are configured to couple with the vehicle in a stacked configuration, with the second plate stacked abutting a portion of the vehicle and the first plate stacked over and abutting the second plate.
 9. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 8, wherein the second plate defines a plurality of oval second-plate coupling holes that correspond to respective V-arm coupling holes, and wherein a plurality of respective coupling assemblies are configured to extend through corresponding pairs of second-plate and V-arm coupling holes to couple the first and second plates with the vehicle.
 10. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 4 further comprising a plurality of ribs that extend between the first and second plate within a rib-cavity defined by the first and second plate.
 11. The sacrificial vehicle hull of claim 10, wherein the second plate defines a plurality of rib-holes, and wherein the plurality of ribs are coupled with the second plate via the rib-holes.
 12. A vehicle comprising and coupled with the sacrificial hull defined by claim
 1. 